Packer roundup: All eyes on Seneca Wallace

Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte runs over Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward in Monday's game. Hayward and the rest of the Packer defense will have to play much better than they did that night to help overcome the absence of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

AP

FILE—Clay Matthews is expected to play Sunday with a cast on his right hand to protect the thumb he broke and had surgery on earlier this season. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

For just the third time since 1992, somebody besides Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers will start at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.

The man tasked with taking the wheel of one of the league's most potent offenses is veteran Seneca Wallace, who wasn't particularly inspiring after having his number called Monday night against the Chicago Bears.

Wallace's career numbers don't sparkle, either.

His career totals of 4,922 yards and 31 touchdowns would make a good season for some quarterbacks, and his 19 interceptions and 59.1 percent completion rate leave a lot to be desired. His record as a starter is 6-15, though it should be said he made many of those 21 starts with putrid Cleveland Browns squads surrounding him.

Wallace gets the opportunity to keep the Packer train—which might've been headed for another NFC North crown before Monday night—on the tracks for the next few weeks.

Make no mistake about it, he'll need a lot of help to do so. Eddie Lacy might have to contribute even more than he has already this season, and the defense will have to put its own poor performance on Monday night behind it and slow down a Philadelphia Eagles offense that seems to thrive away from home (the Eagles haven't won for their home crowd yet, but are 4-1 on the road).

Quarterback Nick Foles tossed seven touchdown passes last week in Oakland, and running back LeSean McCoy is among league leaders with 777 rushing yards heading into Sunday's game.

For more on the team's defensive woes and Wallace's transition to the starting role, check out the Packer coverage from The Gazette's partners at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Friday

PACKER DEFENSE IN A FUNK

GREEN BAY—During a four-game winning streak that began with a 22-9 decision over the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers' defense climbed up the charts, going from 28th in the NFL in yards allowed all the way up to 11th.

In those four games, it allowed 15 points per game and let only one team to top the 100-yard rushing mark.

It seemed like the defense had come out of its journey into the abyss, a two-year dark period for coordinator Dom Capers in which his unit ranked 22nd last season and 32nd in 2011. There was even lots of talk about how much more physical the defense was even with key members such as linebackers Clay Matthews and Nick Perry laid up with injuries.

GREEN BAY--The last time Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy had to prepare a backup quarterback to start a game, he stopped very early in the process and reminded himself of something.

The objective wasn't to get Matt Flynn to play like Aaron Rodgers, but rather to put Flynn in the best position to beat the New England Patriots.

“Well, going back to that experience, it really hit me on Monday, the day after the game (in which Rodgers got hurt), knowing exactly what needed to be done,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “And it's an experience I think we can draw from, and that's really not to overthink it. Read more ...

Wednesday

IN WALLACE HE TRUSTS: PACKERS' MCCARTHY CONFIDENT IN BACKUP

GREEN BAY--The 16 million viewers who tuned into “Monday Night Football” likely do not believe in Seneca Wallace. They watched a backup quarterback stumble through four grisly quarters of football.

But coach Mike McCarthy? The one in charge? He left no room for speculation Tuesday.